BUY ONLY 100% KONA COFFEE and assure satisfaction in the cup!

    100% Kona Coffee has a delicate, aromatic flavor that can be submerged if blended with harsher, foreign coffees. To help you distinguish 100% Kona from lesser quality coffees both the Kona Coffee Council and the State of Hawaii have put in place programs of assurance so that the buyer will have confidence that they are buying the true gourmet product.

    THE 100% KONA COFFEE SEAL OF APPROVAL


    Established by the Kona Coffee Council, the 100% Seal of Approval assures gourmet 100% Kona Coffee

    By displaying and supporting this quality assurance 100% Seal of Approval, we promise the consumer they are buying 100% Kona Coffee. All funds raised through this non-profit program will help perpetuate our 170-year old tradition of growing Kona Coffee.

    The Kona Coffee Council supplies these certification seals only to Kona farmers and processors. Those who use this Seal voluntarily keep a green audit trail to back their standards of excellence and attest to the following:

    The undersigned, as a member of the Kona Coffee Council, understands that the KCC 100% Seal of Approval can only be displayed on packages containing roasted 100% Kona Coffee and further that.......

    1. All coffee must be grown within the borders of North and South Kona Districts, Hawaii Island.

    2. Said coffee must meet the State of Hawaii's green Grading Standards as adopted under Chapter 147, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

    3. In order to display this 100% Seal of Approval, the producer of said coffee must volunteer to fill out an attached green miller's audit trail. This establishes a trust between the producer and the buyer. This audit trail remains confidential unless a complaint arises as to the validity of the product. The Kona Coffee Council has the right to revoke the use of the 100% Seal of Approval in any final judgement.

    Look for the 100% Seal of Approval on every bag of roasted coffee you buy.


    To order supplies of the 100% Seal of Approval , please contact The Kona Coffee Council by email, or at the address on our About the KCC page.

    CERTIFICATION OF GREEN COFFEE

    A law was introduced into the 1997 session of the Hawaii Legislature which will protect 100% Kona Coffee by making it mandatory that all green coffee leaving the North and South Kona Districts of Hawaii Island be Certified.

    Certification guarantees that the green coffee you buy has been grown within the borders of North and South Kona, Hawaii, and that it meets the State of Hawaii's green grading standards as adopted under Chapter 147, Hawaii Revised Statute. This statute clearly states that only coffee graded as Prime or better may be called "Kona".

    Trained Department of Agriculture inspectors sample each bag of green beans to check for size and defects. Every 100 pound burlap bag of green coffee that is shipped out of the Kona region should have a cardboard tag sewn on the bag, with the Seal of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and a registration number.

    Certified Grades of Green Kona Coffee
    All beans must be clean, with a moisture content of 9-12.5%.
    Imperfections are full imperfections per pound of green coffee.
    Size classification is by x/64 inch - for example, Size 19 shall consist of beans which will not pass through a 19/64Ó round hole, etc.
    Type I beans are two beans per cherry, flat on one side, oval on the other. Type II beans are one round bean per cherry.

    Kona Extra Fancy - Type I Beans - Size 19. Or Type II Beans - Size 13. 10 or less imperfections.
    Kona Fancy - Type I Beans - Size 18. Or Type II Beans - Size 12. 16 or less imperfections.
    Kona No. 1 - Type I Beans - Size 16. Or Type II Beans - Size 10. 20 or less imperfections.
    Kona Prime - May contain Type I and Type II beans of any size, 15% or less defective beans by weight, no more than 5% sour or black beans.